Frame for trunks, &amp;c.



No. 800,037. Y PATENTED SEPT. 19, 1905.

0. D. WHITE.

FRAME FOR TRUNKS, 6m.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 4.

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IIIIIIIIIII I' mum No. 800,037. l PATBNTED SEPT. 19, 1905. 0. D. WHITE. FRAME FOR TRUNKS, &o.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10,1904. Y

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

j? 9 gygf 9/ I l v No. 800,037. PATENTED SEPT.19,1905.

0. D. WHITE.

FRAME FOR TRUNKS, 6m.

APPLICATION HLBD JUNE 10,1904* 4 SHEETS-'SHEET 4.

'UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

ORVANDO D. WHITE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. ASSIGNOR TO ANGELINA SYBILLA WHITE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FRAME FOR TBUNKS, &G.

Specification of Letters Patent. y

Patented. Sept. 19, 1905.

Application tiled June 10, 1904. Serial No. 211,907.

To all whom, it Wha/y concern:

Be it known that I, ORVANDO D. WHITE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Frames for Trunks, &c., of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to frames for trunks, boxes, and like articles.

rIhe object of the invention is to provide a frame of such novel and peculiar structure that it will be stiifer, more durable, cheaper, lighter, and more easily assembled than under the ordinary methods in present use and which will also save on expensive trunk-hardware now necessary to brace the trunk at all exposed parts.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter described in connection with theaccompanying drawings and then recited in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a trunk or box made in accordance with my invention, the panels constituting the walls of the device being omitted for convenience in illustrating the frame. Fig. 2 is a partial perspective view of the upper portion of the device of Fig. 1 having the panels in place. Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the front wall of the device of Fig. 1 with the panels in place. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view through a corner-post of the frame. Fig. 5 is a detail view showing the various parts of the frame at one corner separated or disassembled along their cornmon line of j unction, the posts being broken away for convenience of illustration. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view showing the arrangement of the side and end pieces of the top frame of the lid. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the corner-post of Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a' modified form of corner-post. Fig. 9 is a perspective view ofV a form of brace that may be employed. Fig. lO is a detail sectional view on the line 10 of Fig. 3. Fig. 11 is a detail perspective view of a form of corner-piece, adapted for use in the top frame of the body and the lower frame of the lid. Fig. 12 is a detail perspective View showing an adjustable construction that may be employed. Fig. 13 is a detail perspective view of a form of corner-piece adapted for use in the bottom frame of the body. Fig. 14 is a detail perspective view of a form of adjustable construction that may be employed for the bottom frame of the body, and Fig. 15 is a sectional view of a modification.

In the accompanying drawings the trunk or box is composed of a body and lid of suitable size and shape and having the side and end boards or panels 1 and 2, respectively, and the bottom and top boards 3. rIThe body of the device is provided with suitable cornerposts 4, which are preferably metallic, such as malleable iron or cast-steel, and each having a pair of wings 5, arranged at right angles at its inner corner and provided at its ends with studs 6, preferably adapted to be headed over inthe form of rivets or other suitable fastenings.

The bottom frame'of the body consists of suitable horizontal side and end rails 7 and 8, respectively, each provided with a central vertical iiange 9 on its inner or upper face and somewhat shorter than the body of the rail, the arrangement being such that when the parts are assembled the ends of the flanges 9 abut against the ends of the wing 5, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The ends of the rails are cut away at 10 in order to make a flush finish at Vthe joints and are provided with holes 11 to receive the lower fastening, such as the stud or rivet 6 of the associated post 4, which being headed secures the rails together and to the post.

rBhe top frame of the body is composed of the horizontal side and end pieces 12 and 13, respectively, having their ends cut away, as at 14, in order to provide iiush joints and being provided with holes or perforations 15,adapted to receive the top stud 6 of the associated side post, which being headed over secures the side and end rails to each other and to the post. Each of the side and end rails constituting the top frame of the body is provided with a depending vertical flange 16, arranged along its inner edge or margin and somewhat shorter than the rail itself, the arrangement being such that when the parts are assembled the ends of the flanges 16 abut against the wings of the associated posts, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. i

It is of course obvious that the frame thus far described when provided with suitable end and side boards or panels constitutes an opentop box or receptacle and that this device may be provided with a cover or lid of any suit- IOO able construction. When a lid of suitable depth is desired, as is often the case in trunks, I prefer to employ a sectional or knockdown lid of the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 and 5. In the construction therev shown, 17 and 18 indicate horizontal side and end rails, respectively, having their ends cutaway, as at 19, in order to provide fiush joints and'being perforated, as at 20, to receive the lower stud 6 ot' a corner-post 4. Each of the side and end rails ofthe bottom frame of the lid is provided with an upwardly-directed fiange 21, arranged along its inner margin, these fianges being somewhat shorter than their associated rails in order to provide space for the wings 5 of4 the associated corner-post, it being understood that when the parts are assembled the lower stud is headed over to connect the side and end rails to each other and to the post, with the ends of the fianges 21 flush against the wings 5.

The top frame of the lid is composed of the horizontal side and end rails 22 and 23, respectively, each provided with holes or perforations to receive the top stud 6 of the associated corner-post. Each of the side and end rails of the top frame of the lid is provided with a downwardly-'extending Vertical ange 25, arranged along' its inner edge or margin and terminating short of the end of the rails in such manner as to abut against the wings 5 of the associated corner-posts when the parts are assembled. The ends of the side and end rails of the top frame of the lid are cut away, as at 26, to provide flush joints, and each of these rails is further provided with an upwardly-extending flange 27 along its outer edge or margin and coming together fiush at the corners, where they are rounded off to pro-l vide a suitable finish.

It is obvious that when the boards or panels constituting the body of the box or trunk are assembled upon the frame the bottom board or panel 3 will rest upon the side and end rails, with its edges snug against the fianges 9 and the lower ends of the wings 5 of the corner-posts, and that the board or panel may be suitably secured in place. by means of rivets or other suitable fastening devices passing through the rails. The side panels will fill the spaces between the rails 7 and 12 and the corner-posts 4 and may be suitably secured to the flanges 5, 9, and 16. The end panels will till the spaces between the end rails 8 and 13 and the corner-posts and may be suitably secured to the associated fianges 5, 9, and 16. The top panel of the lid will rest upon the side and end rails 22 and 23 within the space bounded by the outer flange 27 and may be suitably secured in place by fastenings passing through the rails. The side panels of the lid will fill the spacesbounded by the rails 17 and 22 and the posts 4 and may be suitably secured in position by fastening devices passing through the flanges 5,

21, and 25., The panels for the ends of the lid will occupy the spaces between the rails 18 and 23 and the post 4 and may be suitably secured by fastening' means passing through the flanges 5, 21, and 25.

It is of course understood that the top or lid of the device may be hinged to the body by any suitable means.

In Fig. 8 I have shown a modified form of a corner-post, in which the body of the post is provided with outer wings 28, it being' obvious that these wings serve to confine and brace the side and end panels.

Suitable braces may be employed wherever desired, and in Fig. 9 I have shown a form of brace which may be conveniently used. This brace is substantially T-shaped in cross-sec-V tion and may be secured at its endsto the flanges of the side or end rails. In Fig. 3 I have illustrated an application of the use of this brace where it is shown attached to the flanges 9 and 16, it being understood that the material of the panel is suitably routed out or kerfed in order to receive the rib 30 of the brace.

In order to provide for trunks of dierent sizes or dimensions, I may make the side or end rails, or both, adjustable. For this purpose I provide a sectional rail with a suitable filler-piece 31, which preferably is adapted to make a smooth joint or connection with the ends of the associated rails, as by cutting away the meeting ends, as shown in Figs. 12 and 14. It is obvious that as these filler-pieces may be of various lengths the size or dimension of the frame may be correspondingly varied. This is a matter of advantage inasmuch as the parts may all be made of standard or uniform size adapted to cooperate and be assembled with different sizes of fillerpieces, so that the manufacturer, being provided with dierent lengths of filler-pieces, may contruct a trunk of any size or dimension desired. In Fig. 12 I have shown a suitable filler-piece adapted to the top rail of the' body or to the lower rail of the lid and in Fig. 14 a similar filler-piece adapted to the lower rail of the body. It is obvious that in a similar manner the'top rail of the lid may be made adjustable. The filler-pieces may be made in different lengths or they may be made in long strips adapted to be cut into different lengths by the manufacturer to fit any-size trunk, thus making it easy to construct a receptacle of 4any desired dimensions. It is obvious that the side and end rails of the variousframes may be made integral. For example, in Figs. 11 and 13, respectively, I have shown such integral constructions. In Fig. 11 two of. the rails of either the top frame of the body or the bottom frame of the lid are integral to form a corner-plate 32, which is provided at its angle with a suitable perforation to receive one of the studs of the corner-post, and in Fig. 13 IA have shown two IOO IIO

of the rails of the bottom frame of the body integral to form a corner-plate 33, similarly perforated for its associated stud. It is also obvious that the corner-plates of the frames may be made integral in the manner shown in Figs. l1 and 13 and assembled in conjunction with filler-pieces 31, as shown in Figs. 12 and 14, respectively.

All of the parts are preferably metallic, and it is obvious that the various portions of the frame may be made and shipped in knockdown form to be readily assembled by the manufacturer or the entire frame for the body may be cast integral and the entire frame of the lid may also be cast integral; also, the parts may be made in various standard sizes for trunks of different dimensions and by the sectional'arrangement or construction of various portions of the frame the manufacturer may carry in stock all the parts necessary to make up a trunk of any desired size at a moments notice.

The form of corner-post protects the ends of the panels or boards at all points where they would otherwise be exposed and liable to split in handling and the posts save the eX- pense of corner-irons and other parts of trunkhardware now generally used.

The solid corner plates o`r pieces add to the rigidity of the structure and in connection with the sectional rails provide a simple form of frame for ready use in making up receptacles of various sizes.

The nails, rivets, or screws employed pass through the panels and wings of the posts or flanges of the rails, thus holding the panels securely in place.

It is obvious that the frames vmay be solid or in sections united at their corners or with solid corner-plates and associated filler-pieces, all of which forms are described and shown.

In Fig. 15 I have shown an outer 'supplemental flange 34 to protect the edge of the panel, and it is obvious that such flanges may be employed on the other horizontal parts of the frame. These supplemental flanges will aline with the wings 28 of -the corner-posts when both are employed.

Having described my invention, I claim-- 1. In a device of the class described, a corner-post having angular wings, and a frame composed of strips having flanges in eXtension of said wings.

2. In a device of the class described, a corner-post having inner wings at a right angle to each other, and a frame composed of strips having inner ianges abutting the wings.

3. In a device of the class described, a corner-post having angular wings, and a top and bottom frame each having flanges in eXtension of said wings.

4. In a device of the class described, a corner-post having angular wings and an end stud, and a perforated frame having iianges adapted to aline with the wings when the stud enters its associated perforation.

' 5. In a device of the class described, a corner-post having angular inner wings and end studs, and top and bottom frames each having inner vertical iianges and corner-perforations, the studs securing the frames to the posts with the adjacent wings and flanges in alinement.

6. A post having a body provided with Wings extending in angular relation to each other and having permanent studs at its ends adapted to be headed over.

7. In a device of the class described, a corner-post having wings, and a top and bottom frame each provided with fianges in alinement with the wings, the top frame also having iianges for the top panel.

8. In a device of the class described, a corner-post having inner wings, and a top and bottomframe each having inner flanges in alinement with the wings, the top frame also having outer flanges for the top panel.

9. In a device of the class described, a corner-post having inner wings, and a top and bottom frame, the latter having iianges in alinement with the wings and the former composed ofl a Strip having inner and outer marginal flanges.

10. In a device of the class described, corner-posts, sectional rails connected at their ends to the corner-posts and adapted to provide constructions of varying sizes, and panels s ORVANDO D. WHITE.

Witnesses ELIZABETH MoLIToR, J. McRoBERTs.

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